the purpose of the xprize is to knock out several technical problems at once, any x2 prize has to be all or nothing, not intermediate steps (trans-continental hopping is not an intermediate step, if that should be it). most of those concepts will have to be tackled to make an orbital vehicle, but some have already been completed by one team or another-- namely armadillo.

To take trans-continental hopping as an example - it requires infrastructure and launch equipment at each continent. But significant parts of the equipment the teams have is existing only once today.

So hopping requires the doubling of the equipment of those teams whose spacecrafts should be used for hopping. But if - for example - SpaceShipOne could be launched by the Da Vinci's balloon as well as by the Wight Knight nothing has to be doubled if Da Vinci's balloon is stationed in Europe and SpaceShipOne had to start in America and to land in Europe.

For a third continent perhaps ILAT's balloon could be used if its height were increased to at least 15,000 meters.

That was an example.

So "a) Competition for the ability to combine spacecrafts or parts of spacecrafts of several teams" might cause the evolution of a cheap hopping infrastructure directly out of the competition for the XPRIZE.

This infrastructure is necessary for hopping and same-day-package-delivery. Additionally - and more important - it's a significant requirement for the long-run-success of private spacecrafts, private space launches and private space travels. This way it can quickly become a serious competitor to air traffic by planes.

Using the ability to combine for reaching th orbit would be a positive side effect.

where can I find documents reporting from this conference - articles an so on?

I've been looking and searching for articles, but didn't find any. German articles seem to be reporting wrong - I asked Scaled by E-Mail. So I don't trust german articles reporting orbital intentions or things like cerification costs.

Lest all this sound like a futuristic pipe dream, consider that more than 20 private companies from around the world have committed to be in the competition to see who can fly the highest, climb the fastest or launch a second flight the soonest after landing from the first. Many of those prizes are already funded.

where can I find documents reporting from this conference - articles an so on?

Here's one: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/SS ... 40620.html. THe quote is near the bottom: "However, we’re heading to orbit sooner than you think. And we know it’s crucial to dramatically reduce the cost. We do not plan to stay in low Earth orbit for decades, but to enable high adventure and exploration as soon as the new technologies allow...So hold on. The next 25 years will be a wild ride, that’s my prediction."